The military surveillance blimp that broke free of its mooring at Aberdeen Proving Ground Wednesday morning has returned to Earth after a four-hour, 160-mile, power line-snapping odyssey, authorities said.
NORAD spokesman Michael Kucharek said the runaway aircraft was on the ground near Moreland Township, Pa. — 160 miles north of its mooring in Edgewood — and was deflating. The blimp had slowly been loosing helium, he said, and appears to have drifted to the ground.
The blimp was trailing 6,700 feet of cable. Authorities warned onlookers away.
"Anyone who sees the aerostat is advised to contact 911 immediately," Aberdeen Proving Ground spokeswoman Heather Roelker said. "People are warned to keep a safe distance from the airship and tether as contact with them may present significant danger."
Its tether was snapping power lines. The local electric utility, PPL, reported about 20,000 customers without power in the area, although it was unclear how many could be attributed to the blimp. Bloomsburg University canceled classes, citing a "widespread power outage.
The blimps are moored to the ground with thick, 10,000-foot cables that can transmit the data they collect back to earth. They're designed to stay aloft in winds of up to 70 knots, and remain in the air even if their skin is pierced.
Raytheon, the contractor that makes the blimps, says the cable is unlikely to break.
"The chance of that happening is very small because the tether is made of Vectran and has withstood storms in excess of 100 knots," the company said on its website. "However, in the unlikely event it does happen, there are a number of procedures and systems in place which are designed to bring the aerostat down in a safe manner."
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Topic: JLENS blimp returns to Earth in Pennsylvania; military recovery 'in progress' (Read 835 times)